Intentionally aiming toward a more joyful life

Tag Archives: local

I have really been an emotional roller coaster these last two weeks. Our new president frightens me so much and I have been alternating between weeping in depression and fear, and getting angry and taking back my power (and therefore being productive around the house). My Facebook feed has turned into a political forum. Gone are the LOLcats and kid pictures. Everything is about our president and his hateful, planet-destroying behaviors. In response I’ve decided to become a revolutionary and (re-)join a riot. Continue reading →

Last month I bought a bushel of Cortland apples that were on sale from a local orchard. My kids were in an apple phase, when they would eat apples faster than I could bring them home. Of course, the moment I brought home a whole bushel, they lost their ravenous appetite for apples. So now I had a huge bag of apples just sitting around, waiting to be eaten. They got bruised as we moved them hither and thither in the kitchen since they had no assigned home. Finally, I took the whole bag and sorted it by whether they were bruised or not. There were at least three times as many bruised apples as not. So I began doing what any sane person would do. I started making apple crisp pudding. Continue reading →

I live in a wonderful place. I feel blessed to live in New England, and although there are many places I would like to visit, there is no place I would rather live than here. Especially the Connecticut River Valley where it cuts through the Appalachian Mountains. Technically, I live in the foothills of the mountains, and it is a very wonderful place to live. Cheshire County will always be the home of my heart. Continue reading →

October is my favorite month. As I drove around the state this past week running errands and such, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about for Thankful Thursday this week. Here are some of the reasons I love October. Continue reading →

Last week I learned how to eviscerate chickens. My husband and I have been wanting to learn how to slaughter and process chickens so we can put our own meat on our table. One of our roosters has been getting more aggressive lately and little A is afraid of him. We decided that he will make a good pot pie, but we needed to learn the process first. A little knowledge and hands on experience go a long way. Continue reading →

Gardening. It is one of those things that is expected as a given for anyone interested in nutrition or sustainability. I have to be honest, though. I suck at gardening. I never get the watering right. I either drown the poor things, or they die of dehydration. Sometimes they struggle between both states. It is feast or famine with the water. I don’t mean to. I just have not figured out a good system yet. One year I planted potatoes in a spot that turned out to be very shady, so the plants snaked across the yard to where the sun was and then grew vertically. I think that although I love the concept of gardening, I don’t like the actual gardening itself. Maybe it has been because I have always had less than optimal conditions for gardening. I live in the Granite State, and our prime crop is rock. I can’t dig a hole without wrestling rocks. And not just pebbles or small stones. Some of these rocks are football size or larger. Whatever the cause, gardening has been a less-than-fun experience for me. Continue reading →

Previously, we walked through the factors that determine how much food stamp assistance you receive. We talked about different types of income, and about deductions, and how much you are expected to contribute to your own grocery budget. We also previously talked about what kinds of food you can get with your benefits, and how to really make them work hard for you. So now that you have food stamps, let’s take a look at where you can spend them.

Where not to spend food stamps

As their name implies, food stamps are used to buy food. That is the simplest way to look at it. However, not all Continue reading →

It’s Thursday again, which means it is time to count our blessings. Today I am especially thankful for the great abundance of black raspberries that surround our property. We live in the middle of our rural town on 3/4 of an acre (that is a whole other post for another week), and a good 75% or more of the perimeter is bordered by black raspberry canes. So far I have picked a total of 12 quarts, plus two that my mother came over and picked. We’re not done yet, and I have neglected picking for a couple of days now. Overload has set in.